“I'm very confident Sean will be back here in New Orleans,” Brees said on a conference call.

News broke recently that the NFL voided a contract extension that Payton and the Saints had agreed to in 2011, sparking speculation the suspended Super Bowl-winning coach would be a free agent once the league reinstates him.

Payton has strong ties to the Cowboys after working for them as an assistant coach and forging a friendship with Jones. He also is spending his suspension at his home in Dallas.

But Brees indicated he's confident a deal will be worked out between the Saints and Payton. He also scoffed at the notion Payton's future casts a big shadow over Sunday's game between the Cowboys (8-6) and Saints (6-8).

“Everybody's making a much bigger deal out of this than it needs to be,” he said. “I know it's a big topic and that kind of thing, but we have enough motivation why we want to win this game.”

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said he hasn't paid attention to the Payton speculation.

“What I try to do is the same thing I try to emphasize to our players — focus on this day,” Garrett said.